Boys Countdown to XC Day 29: Sutter

Returning rankings tell me that Sutter will be in the hunt for an overall Northern Section championship, but what has really caught my eye is their improvement over the last three years. In 2016 this team averaged 18:30 across their top 5; last year, that had dropped to 17:43 despite having a very young team (they had graduates three seniors from their 2017 section finals squad). The Huskies return 6 of 7 from the team that finished 21st in the Division 4 state meet, including two rising juniors and a rising sophomore. Returning #3 runner Xavier Pitula led the team in the 3200 during the spring, and the team has a solid pack to support #1 runner Bryce Harper. If I'm being 100% honest, I have to say that Chico is still the team to beat in this section - although they lost a TON of seniors, they also had a TON of youngsters in the JV race ready to step up. I think this could be the year that someone gets past them, though, and given the Huskies' recent improvement and championship experience they could be the squad to do it. In any case, I think Sutter will improve significantly and make a push into the top 15 in Division 4, which would be rarefied air for a Northern Section team.